Back to the Drawing Board (23 page)

“Yes.”

Her face lit up like a kid’s on Christmas morning, and my heart pounded. I’d just said yes to her. “You said yes,” she squealed, bouncing on my lap. She better stop doing that, or she was going to get a lot more than
yes
.

“Thank you,” she said, gripping my face. She kissed me softly, licking my lips with her tongue. “Thank you,” she whispered again. “You’re so breathtaking. The first time I saw you, Carter? I almost tripped and fell flat at your feet.”

She was thanking
me
? She was the one who fought for me, the one who pushed past my steel barriers, who made me wake up and realize the path I was on, and she was saying thank you to me? I would’ve laughed if she hadn’t pressed her lips against mine again.

“It was flat-out lust, I admit,” she said when she pulled back. “But there was something about you, even in the few minutes I got to hear you talk. I felt drawn to you. I can’t explain it.”

“You don’t have to,” I said, my fingers finding that bare skin of her legs. Her skirt had ridden up since she was straddling me, and it was taking a whole lot of willpower to not take them higher. “I felt the same for you. God knows I fought the good fight trying to push you away. You just wouldn’t allow me to do it. So thank
you
, Julia. Thank you so much.”

She smiled. “No thanks are necessary, but you’re welcome. Just so you know, I’m not this way, usually,” Julia said. “I know that’s probably hard to believe since I’ve been the pursuer this whole time, but I’m not. There was just something about you that told me you were worth pushing a little. Or a lot. And I was right.”

“No one has ever pushed me like you,” I said. “My mom is the only woman I’ve ever let close to me. She’s the only one that gets me the way you do, but that’s kind of her job.”

We both laughed. “Tell me why you aren’t doing interior design if that’s what you want.”

The smile dropped from her face. “We sure aren’t holding back tonight, are we?”

“We might as well get it all out,” I said. She shifted, getting up off my lap. I felt her loss immediately.

“Let’s go lay in my room, if that’s okay. It’s more comfortable, and we can talk.”

She wanted me to go to her room and lay with her in her
bed
and expect me to
talk
? Oh, she was pushing it. I didn’t dare question her, because I was here and we were getting somewhere. I honestly didn’t care whether or not I slept with her tonight; it was much more than that to me now.

I followed her down a hallway and into her room. It was flawless, just like the rest of the house. A large king size bed took up a good section of the room, but she’d made it look open and airy with the colors and decor. “Julia, you’re so talented. I know how amazing you are as an architect, but wow! This is your true calling.”

She crawled onto the bed and patted the spot next to her.
God, give me the strength.
I laid next to her, both of us facing each other. I’d never done this with a woman. Had I been in their beds? Yes. But for things that didn’t require talking.

“Ever since everything happened with Johnny, it was never an option for me not to be the one to take over the company. My parents knew I had an interest in interior design, but it didn’t matter. I was now the one they put all their hopes and dreams into, and they knew I had a talent for architecture. So, I never rocked the boat. I was too terrified.”

“Do they know you do interior design with Colorado Cares?”

“They know I volunteer there, and they like that it helps our company’s reputation. They throw a bunch of money into the organization because I like it, but no, they don’t know what I do for them specifically.”

“So if you weren’t the daughter of GSJ Designs, what would your dream be?”

Her eyes got a faraway look as she looked over my shoulder at nothing for a moment. “I would’ve gotten my degree in Interior Design and worked for a firm for awhile, then started my own. I want to get married and have a family. I never wanted to work sixty hours a week. I don’t want to run my parents company. But I’m good at what I do, so there’s that. I do get satisfaction in seeing a project I started through to its completion. So I don’t totally hate it, it’s just not what I would’ve chosen.”

“That’s too bad,” I caressed her arm, wanting to touch her in some way. “You are extremely talented, but if you don’t feel the passion for it, it’s a waste.”

“I want to feel a passion for something,” she said, scooting closer to me. “Do you think I could find some?”

I caught her drift, and I grinned. “I don’t think that will be hard to find.”

“So this Carrie Underwood you like,” I said, my fingers playing with her hair.

“Yeah?” Julia lifted her head, and I saw how tired she was. We’d been talking for hours, and I could just see the sun starting to come over the mountains. We’d been up all night, and not one second of it had been having sex. I was surprisingly okay with that, because what we’d done together had made us even closer.

“Will you play that song you were dancing to the other day?”

Julia groaned. “I have no energy for that right now, but I will. You know what, though? I have a song I want you to hear.” She reached to the nightstand and pulled out a small remote, then grabbed her phone and started shuffling through songs. “Here it is.”

From somewhere in the room, the song started through invisible speakers. Julia laid back on me, and I closed my eyes. She laced her fingers with mine as the lyrics began. I knew why she liked this lady; she could
sing
.

“Listen to the words,” Julia whispered.

“What’s it called?”

“Inside your Heaven.”

As I listened to the lyrics of the powerful song, I felt the now familiar lump of emotion building in my throat. Who was I becoming? I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I’d never gotten emotional over a girl
or
moving song lyrics. Had I ever heard this song on my radio, I would’ve been scrambling for a new station. Now I thought I might just seek out some more songs from this artist. If Julia liked her, I wanted to like her.

Julia titled her head back so she could look at me, and I smiled. “I want to make love to you,” she said. I froze, my brain wrapped around those two words,
make love
. “Carter,” she said. “Don’t freak out. You and I both know this is more than just two people having sex. Am I right?” The song ended and went into something else, but I was no longer listening.

“Yes,” I said finally.

“I like that word from you tonight,” she joked. “Tell me one of your favorite bands and I’ll put it on. I want to hear what you like.”

“Search for Skillet,” I said, sitting up. “Yours to Hold.”

Julia looked at me, then back at her phone. “Found it.” The soulful sound of Skillet came through the speakers, and I hoped that Julia recognized how perfect this song was for her.

“I know you don’t need someone to hold you, Julia. You’re strong enough yourself.”

She shook her head, climbing over to me and straddling my waist. “No, I’m not. I want someone to hold me. Will you be that person, Carter?”

Instead of answering her, with Skillet’s voice infiltrating the room, I flipped her onto her back and hovered over her, taking in her flushed cheeks, tired eyes, and long hair spread out on the pillow. I ran my fingers up her bare legs to the edge of her underwear, like I’d wanted to do for hours. Days. Weeks. She moaned and arched her back, urging me on. I felt my fingers shaking. What was my problem? It was terrifying me to touch her. This may not even be the first time I’d touched her like this.

“We’ll remember this time,” she murmured, echoing my thoughts. Damn, I didn’t know how this woman did that. “Let’s make it worthwhile.” She lifted up and took my shirt off, running her fingers down my chest and abs until she got to my belt. She undid it, then the button on my jeans. I could barely breathe.

“You’re gorgeous,” she said, kissing down my chest until she reached my open jeans. I held my breath, hoping I didn’t lose it like a teenager before we got past first base. She lifted her eyes to mine as she pushed my jeans and underwear down my hips. Damn, she was ahead here. I was now mostly naked and she was still clothed.

I lifted the hem of her shirt, and she raised her arms so it came off easily. She wore a black lace bra, and I made quick work of that. “Stand up.” I helped her stand, pushing her skirt down her legs until it pooled at the floor. I stepped out of my pants and underwear, leaving her black thong the only piece of clothing between us.

I’d seen some of this body the morning we woke up together, but it was nothing like this. Her supple breasts begged for my touch. “Julia . . .”

“Touch me,” she said, lifting my hands and putting them on her breasts. I couldn’t contain my want anymore. I grabbed her and tasted her mouth, nipping, sucking, and gorging on her. She responded immediately, wrapping her legs around me and turning her head so she could deepen our kiss. I had to touch her everywhere and now. I laid her down so my hands could be free and slid her underwear off, lifting her leg and pressing kisses from her ankle to her inner thigh. She writhed under my touch, her moans drowned out by the pulsing music in the room. She was gripping my hair as I kissed along her lower stomach and then over to her other leg.

“Carter,” she breathed. I knew what her breathless moan of my name meant, because I wanted it, too. But I wasn’t ready just yet. I lifted her hands and held them above her head while kissing down her body, stopping at her belly button before releasing her hands. She immediately touched my arms, neck, and chest, but that was as far as she could get.

I splayed my hand on her lower stomach, my fingers caressing her where she was more than ready for me. The second my fingertips grazed her sensitive skin, she bucked off the bed and moaned, her head moving back and forth on the bed. I could do this all day, watching her come undone with my touch.

Julia sat part of the way up, reaching for me. I laid next to her as I continued stroking her, and she took the opportunity to caress me. We slowed down, looking into each other’s eyes as we took one another to the brink. She kissed me again, her tongue twining lazily with mine as we took our time touching everywhere we could.

“Now,” she said against my lips. “Please.”

I rolled her towards me and cupped her face with my hands, and she followed, covering my hands with hers. She wrapped her leg around my waist, and we sought each other without even saying another word. She reached down and guided me where she wanted me.

“Dear God,” I moaned as I filled her. “Julia.” She was heaven, right here and now.

“Carter,” she responded, closing her eyes as I moved in and out. She pulled me closer to her until there was no space in between us anymore. “Just so you know, I’m on the pill. No need to worry.”

Oh, my God. What kind of responsible adult was I? It had never even crossed my mind.

“Don’t,” Julia said, rolling so she was now on top. I immediately forgot what we’d been talking about as she moved on top of me, her hair cocooning her face. I gripped her hips, feeling the familiar tingling that meant I wasn’t going to last much longer.

I WATCHED CARTER’S FACE; HIS
eyes locked on mine as we moved together. Never in my life had I felt this. Not only was he an
extremely
attentive lover, but the entire experience was way beyond my expectations. His body was ridiculous, his muscles cut in places I’d never seen on a man before.